Wanderlust

Tag: green

  • EU Market Find: Parisian 1992 Mercedes 300 3.4 AMG in Crystal Green

    EU Market Find: Parisian 1992 Mercedes 300 3.4 AMG in Crystal Green

    What: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300 CE 3.4 AMG
    Color: Crystal Green Metallic (kristallgrün; metallic UNI; 256; Mercedes-Benz)
    Chassis Number: N/A
    Mileage: 100,500 km, 62,447 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: €95,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Casting Automobiles, Paris, France
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    Likely due to rarity, it’s not uncommon to see a W124-generation Mercedes-Benz 300 CE coupe built by AMG crossing the six figure mark. Transaction prices approaching six figures (actually passing them by the time you convert to U.S. dollars and import) aren’t something we typically see of 1990s era cars from Mercedes-Benz. However, make them a well preserved AMG and it’s a whole new ballgame.

    If you’re a connoisseur of these cars, then we think it’s worth pointing your attention towards this particular specimen – a tone-on-tone coupe in a rare color of Crystal Green Metallic paired with green-tartan seating. It appears to have originated from Japan, though can now be found at a specialty dealer in Paris, France.

    Translating the listing gleans a few more notes about the car based around option codes. Where’s what it says:

    • 916 VEHICLES FOR HOT COUNTRIES – ADDITIONAL PARTS, HEATED REAR WINDOW
    • ORIGINAL JAPANESE CAR CRYSTAL GREEN (256U) with PINE CANVAS (066)
    • 221 LEFT FRONT SEAT WITH ELECTRICAL ADJUSTMENT
    • 222 RIGHT FRONT SEAT WITH ELECTRICAL ADJUSTMENT
    • 240 EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE INDICATOR
    • 341 ADDITIONAL INDICATORS
    • 425 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX
    • 430 HEADRESTS, TINTED UPPER PART
    • 600 HEADLIGHT WASHER-WIPER DEVICE
    • 613 LEFT-HAND DRIVE HEADLIGHTS
    • 664 20 LITERS OF FUEL AND VE III PACKAGING MODE
    • 802 CHANGE OF MODEL YEAR, LAMINATED GLASS

    Now, throw in the fact that this is a fully-built and well-preserved AMG model constructed on the W124 chassis a full 13 years ahead of Mercedes-Benz’s own buyout of AMG and you have a thoroughly interesting specimen for a serious MercedesBenz collector.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.

  • Color Focus: Porsche Peridot Metallic – 2S1

    Color Focus: Porsche Peridot Metallic – 2S1

    CODE: 2S1

    COLOR DATA:

    TYPE: Metallic UNI

    CONTENT ARCHIVE: Racing Yellow

    SUMMARY:

    Launched most memorably on the original Porsche Cayman R (987) in 2012, Peridot Metallic (peridotmetallic; metallic UNI; 2S1; Porsche) has seen regular use since that time. This citrus green/yellow metallic harkens the neon-like colors from Porsche during the 1970s, shades like Linden Green. In the case of Peridot Metallic though, it is a thoroughly modern metallic.

    Peridot takes its name from the semi-precious stone of similar color that is common in olivine deep within the earth’s crust and is brought to the surface by volcanic activity. In Hawaiian lore, peridot symbolized the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controls the flow of lava.

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  • EU Market Find: 1994 Audi S2 Avant in Porsche Onyx Green

    EU Market Find: 1994 Audi S2 Avant in Porsche Onyx Green

    What: 1994 Audi S2 Avant
    Color: Onyx Green Metallic (onyxgrün; metallic UNI; LD6V; Porsche)
    Chassis Number: N/A
    Mileage: 284,000 km, 176,469 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: €30,500
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Private Seller, Kronstorf, Austria
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    Here’s an interesting specimen that popped up on the European market recently – an Audi S2 in the ’80s era Porsche 924 color Onyx Green Metallic. We’ve never seen an Audi S2 in this color before and the listing doesn’t state that it’s a respray, so we’re guessing it’s a very early example of Audi exclusive paint. In this period, custom paint did happen on these cars though it’s more common (yet still uncommon) on the hotter RS2.

    What’s an S2? Though they never came to America, Audi continued installing its now 20-valve turbocharged I-5 in its B3 and B4-era cars, beginning with the B3-based S2 Coupe and then later the wagon (a.k.a. Avant) and much lower production sedan body styles. Though the Porsche-built and tuned RS2 gets more love from the automotive community, Audi connoisseurs often prefer the more subtle look of the S2. Now, throw on some rare-at-the-time custom factory paint and you have a winner.

    This car is modified in some respects, and it’s also high mileage. From our perspective, that makes it a great candidate for a daily or weekend driver and less attractive as a museum piece bound to tucked away untouched as part of a collection.

    As S2s go, it may be a bit on the high side. Even still, it’s probably half of what the equivalent RS2 will cost, which still makes it a bargain. If its condition is as good as presented and it is actually factory paint in a Porsche color, we’d also argued it’s priced appropriately.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.

  • Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Olivin

    Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Olivin

    Rolls-Royce recently dropped basic color and specification from the Cullinan Series II and Black Badge Cullinan Series II global media drive held in Ibiza back in June. Alas, we weren’t on that drive, but we are able to share the basic color information in order to help inspire those ordering Rolls-Royces of their own, or considering Rolls-Royce hues in build specifications from other manufacturers. 

    We’ve been adding each car in our Color Check over the last few weeks. Next up is this Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II christened ‘Luxurian’. It’s finished in Olivin (olivin; metallic uni; R9E; Rolls-Royce).

    Rolls-Royce PR has describes Olivin as “bespoke”, “opulent” and that it “scintillates under the light” when it shared this deep dark green in the detailing of the Phantom Extended.

    No doubt this deep, dark green is inspired by olives, with Rolls-Royce’s own take on a dark green on the gold side of the green spectrum and something we see from a lot of other manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

    Rolls-Royce didn’t detail the rest of the spec on ‘Luxurian’, but did provide a substantial amount of photography from which to assess the specification.

  • Market Find: 2018 Lamborghini Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic Huracan Performante

    Market Find: 2018 Lamborghini Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic Huracan Performante

    What: 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante
    Color: Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic (metallic-UNI; 0089; Lamborghini)
    VIN: ZHWUD4ZF2JLA10642
    Mileage: 11,893 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: $335,000
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: Pictured Below
    Location: 1 of 1 Motorsports, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    Lamborghini’s Ad Personam Verde Draco Metallic was most famously used on Lamborghini’s Murcelago press car that was thrashed on Top Gear, and second most famously on VinWiki founder and Cannonballer Ed Bolian’s resprayed high-mile LP640. But even with that relatively high level of notoriety and our opinion that it’s absolutely stunning, take rate on the vibrant albeit muted green is exceedingly low. We’re happy to see that at least one Tailor opted for Verde Draco Metallic on their Performante, and even more intrigued that this example features a VF Supercharger, methanol injection, auxiliary gauges, and OMP racing harnesses We’ll let you make of that what you will, and just let the pictures of this Tailored Driver do the talking.

  • EU Market Find: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 in Signal Green

    EU Market Find: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 in Signal Green

    What: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 2
    Color: Signal Green (signalgrün; non-metallic UNI; 22S; Porsche)
    Chassis Number: N/A
    Mileage: 9,347 km, 5,807 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: €128,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Stowasser & Schmalzried, Weinstadt, Germany
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    This isn’t a pristine collector 964-era 911. Like a lot of European market 911s, this very early 964 (July 1989 first registration) has been loosely cloned to look like a 964 Carrera RS / N/GT or Cup including Cup 1 wheels, Recaro Pole Position seats and a few other things. Like a lot of these early 964s that became RS clones, some liberties were taken like black paint on the Cup 1 wheels, fitting later brakes that appear to be OEM, (a.k.a. “big reds”) and a few other things a real RS wouldn’t have. It may have also been track weaponized given the suggestion of a 3.8 engine rebuild and that color-matched cage. It’s intriguing for someone looking for a driver or track car, though likely red flags for a purist collector.

    There are a few other things we note here. For starters, it’s not clearly stated that it’s a Carrera 2, though we’re guessing it is because C2s were available for Europe for 1989 even if they didn’t arrive in the USA until 1990. It’s also got some significant upgrades we found in the general marketplace site listing but not on the dealer site.

    There’s another oddity. The listing translates that it was restored around 2010/2011. That’s likely when it received all of the modifications. However, its mileage logged is quite low, so it’s unclear whether the chassis has very low mileage or more likely that it has logged so very few miles since being restored and built.

    Our next question is whether the Signal Green paint is factory Paint to Sample or a respray during the aforementioned restoration. Signal Green was a Carrera Cup color and the so cars in that color did happen on occasion. The dealer doesn’t list details here, and since it’s a European listing the inclusion of a VIN number for reference isn’t common. That’d be something worth checking for anyone thinking seriously on this car.

    All that said, we’d still argue this car is worth the premium. For starters, a 964 Carrera 2 Coupé in decent shape will already run you into six figures. You’d never be able to build this car for that number, and the 3.8 and other mechanical upgrades suggests it’s more than just the usual basic RS clone bolt-ons. For someone seeking to make a more convincing RS clone, it wouldn’t take much more than removing that cage, respraying the wheels in either silver or signal green and getting some replica leather seat covers for those Pole Positions. No, it wouldn’t be real, but you’d be having an outlawed RS experience for about half the price of a similar condition Carrera RS. And, given it’s a clone and the price, you could drive it without too much concern over mile-ing up something as rare and collectible as a real RS.

    And what of that green paint? Well, if it’s real and those miles are accurate then it’s still probably worth putting it back to factory specifications. That’d be a hell of a specimen for those purist collectors. And if it’s not, you still have a very unique thing. Unlike Maritime Blue or Rubystar that are more common in this era, Signal Green is decidedly rare. The actor James Spader was known to have one that he used in and around Los Angeles, which is great trivia to know if you own it. Also, real deal Signal Green 964s are anything but common.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.

  • EU Market Find: Cypress Green Mercedes 280 CE Coupe with Period Lorinser and Zender Upgrades

    EU Market Find: Cypress Green Mercedes 280 CE Coupe with Period Lorinser and Zender Upgrades

    What: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280 CE Coupe
    Color: Cypress Green (zypressengrün; metallic UNI; 876; Mercedes-Benz)
    Chassis Number: N/A
    Mileage: 222,000 km, 137,944 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: €18,990
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Autozentrum Frankenthal, Frankenthal, Germany
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    Nowadays, the W123-generation Mercedes Benz 280 CE is a pretty rare thing. Built in a day when nomenclature and badging actually stood for something, the 280 CE is an E-class Coupe (a.k.a. “CE”) with a 2.8-liter V6 (i.e. 280).

    This one is Cypress Green metallic, making it a rare spec but neither a custom build from the factory nor a special limited edition factory model. Hawk-eyed viewers of our “tailored driver” qualification rules may call foul here as a result, but we’re also keen on occasionally listing the very tasteful and/or very rare specifications that may have been off the factory standard option list, but are nevertheless still both rare and sought-after. We think this car qualifies.

    In the tailored car collector space, sometimes points are also deducted for modifications. Here again, we tend to give leeway for modifications from iconic aftermarket brands that are period correct. In this case, that includes wheels from longtime Mercedes tuning house Lorinser, a wooden steering wheel from Raid and color-matched bumper covers / body kit from 80s European car accessories house Zender. While these changes may boot this car out of a hallowed space at a Mercedes-Benz factory museum, we suspect they’d definitely earn you street credit at the local cars and coffee.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.

  • Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Chartreuse Metallic

    Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Chartreuse Metallic

    Rolls-Royce recently dropped basic color and specification from the Cullinan Series II and Black Badge Cullinan Series II global media drive held in Ibiza back in June. Alas, we weren’t on that drive, but we are able to share the basic color information in order to help inspire those ordering Rolls-Royces of their own, or considering Rolls-Royce hues in build specifications from other manufacturers. 

    We’ve been adding each car in our Color Check over the last few weeks. Next up is this Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II christened ‘Disruptor’. It’s finished in Chartreuse (chartreusemetallic; metallic uni; R9G; Rolls-Royce).

    The French herbal liquor made by Carthusian monks since 1737 for which Chartreuse is likely named comes in green and yellow that vary in flavor and alcohol content. The drink is distilled and aged with a recipe of 130 herbs, plants and flowers. The name for the liquor itself came from the Grand Chartreuse monastery located in the Chartreuse Mountains near Grenoble.

    In the case of Rolls-Royce’s Chartreuse Metallic, it’s a an equally complex metallic gold with hints of green. The net hue is striking and unique, drawing attention in ways that make it highly distinctive.

  • Market Find: 2024 Porsche Paint to Sample Black Olive GT4 RS

    Market Find: 2024 Porsche Paint to Sample Black Olive GT4 RS

    What: 2024 Porsche GT4 RS
    Color: Paint to Sample Black Olive (schwarzolive; non-metallic UNI; 2A7; Porsche)
    VIN: WP0AE2A80RK274760
    Mileage: 2,555 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: $238,992
    CarFax: Link
    iPacket: Link
    Location: Porsche Exchange, Highland Park, IL
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    The myriad shades of Green seem to be in vogue, yet Porsche’s Paint to Sample Black Olive isn’t one we see often. Perhaps it’s the deeper, more subdued nature of Dark Olive which drives folks to order Nato Olive or Smyrna Green instead, but in our eyes- that’s their loss. This particular Tailored Driver is the right blend of exclusivity, must-have options, and if-you-know-you-know cred that clearly sets it apart in the age of lottery ticket Porsche allocation. Put simply, someone will be incredibly fortunate to put this GT4 RS in their driveway.

  • Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Monteverde

    Color Check: Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II in Monteverde

    Rolls-Royce recently dropped basic color and specification from the Cullinan Series II and Black Badge Cullinan Series II global media drive held in Ibiza back in June. Alas, we weren’t on that drive, but we are able to share the basic color information in order to help inspire those ordering Rolls-Royces of their own, or considering Rolls-Royce hues in build specifications from other manufacturers. 

    We’ve been adding each car in our Color Check over the last few weeks. Next up is this Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II christened ‘Captain’. It’s finished in Monteverde (monteverde; pearl uni; R9D; Rolls-Royce).

    Rolls-Royce PR has described Monteverde as “a colour inspired by the green and blue hues of nature’s undiscovered territories, enlivened by gleaming golden pearl.” No word on which territories remain undiscovered, though the reference is likely inspired by the cool green hues of Monteverde, Costa Rica while name literally means “Green Mountain” in Spanish.

    Rolls-Royce didn’t detail the rest of the spec on this second ‘Captain’, but some of these photos feature the car coolly parked by a luxury yacht. In that, this Cullinan Series II definitely fits the part as the natural mode of transport you’d use to transfer to the marina.